"The government is full of communists. We can hammer away at them" Senator Joseph McCarthy spoke with his friends at dinner in January of 1950. They need an issue, some kind of goal. Joseph McCarthy did not suggest the idea, but he did run with it (Fight np). When communist forces took control of China, Americans were afraid of communism spreading to the United States. Though it might not have been his intent, McCarthy spread the Red Scare by giving speeches and false accusations. McCarthyism is the use of unsubstantiated accusations in an attempt to expose disloyalty. The senator's actions defined McCarthyism. His goal was to have all communists "...removed from the normal scene of American life..." (McCarthyism np). McCarthy added to the hysteria of the Red Scare, by making false accusations.

To better understand McCarthyism, one must understand Senator Joseph McCarthy. Joseph McCarthy's obsession did not always exist...